This piece first appeared on The-Binge.com and is published with permission.

Warm Sundays in Berlin are mostly spent outside, soaking up the sun and taking advantage of the rarity that is warm weather. However, we recently discovered that there’s a way to get some of that much needed Vitamin D while binge-ing on some amazing street food. All you have to do is hop on a train or bike to Kulturbrauerei on a Sunday. There, you’ll find some of the city’s best food trucks all parked in one spot.

Built in the 1800’s, this complex used to be the Schultheiss Brewery. These days, it’s a place fit for East Berlin’s cool crowd. With hip offices, a cinema, and being the ever Instagrammable event space, Kulturbrauerei has become a must-visit destination in Prenzlauer Berg.

It’s been two months (!!) since we moved to Berlin and I thought I’d share an update on how it’s been. We’re slowly settling in and getting to know the city. So far so good! But I thought I’d share with you some adjustments we had to face when we first arrived.

No complaints in being this city since I’m now really enjoying it. However, I want to share some realities with you in case you’re thinking of moving here or to some other city in Europe as some bits may be applicable. Just to avoid a teeny bit of shock and hopefully, help you adjust faster. 😉

In case you’re a personal friend, a relative, or if you’ve been following me on social media, you may have noticed that we’ve moved posts. Yes, my treatment of this personal space of mine online has been quite appalling the past few… Err… Weeks? Months? But between packing, tying loose ends (freelance work wise), saying goodbye to dear friends, and moving from one continent to another, there just wasn’t enough time to actually sit down and pen something down.

Another place I didn’t get to take much photos of was the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A). We were in such a hurry after our tour of the Parliament to make it to the V&A then all our other stops for the day which included the Tower of London and the HMS Belfast.

So this post, like our visit, will be short and sweet. To be honest, Alvin wasn’t that big on visiting this museum in particular. After all, it’s known for decorative arts and design. That meant none of his usual must-sees that are related to great battles and political upheavals. I have to admit that the visit was more for me so that I can indulge in some vintage fashion.

Like this:

This year’s first skin care review goes to two new products from The Face Shop that have floored me. Like I said a couple of posts ago, I would be a little more picky when it comes to what I feature on this space so as to give you guys more curated content and I think these new products are a good way to start that new policy.

So The Face Shop recently came out with a new range called Yehwadam and I was able to try their Revitalising Serum and the Snow Lotus Brightening Pearl Capsule Cream. Both are great if you’re looking into adding some oomph into your night time routine – especially on the anti-ageing department.

**I’m finally starting an Etiquette Series! That took a while – like everything else that I promise, come to think of it. It’s not you guys – I’m sorry! It’s me and my workload. But here it is finally! Hope you enjoy this and find it helpful as well! xx**

So as not to commit a grave faux pas back when I was a diplomatic journalist, I read up on some of these topics. It turns out that proper introductions are sort of an art among certain crowds – I kid you not. Mix it in with protocol and then you get rules.

Back when I was a young(er) and cocky reporter, I scoffed at the thought of having rules for such seemingly minor things. Later on, however, I noticed the importance of it at formal events and made it to a point to remember how to do it properly – especially when I’m doing it for other people. We all want to be respectful, don’t we?

When it comes to year ender posts, this has got to be one of the last that will come out. However, I still wanted to do it for reasons that are quite sentimental.

The past year was indeed something a lot of people would like to forget. I admit that there were some things that did leave me feel gutted despite being physically (and somehow even figuratively) detached from them. Like the deaths of Carrie Fisher and Alan Rickman as well as news of violence all over the world and of course, there’s politics – but I wouldn’t go into that anymore.

Despite all of those things, 2016 ended up being good year for me personally. It was a year that brought me a lot of good things. From my career to my relationships, it’s been pretty great and I’m nothing short of thankful.

Disclaimers and Disclosures

This blog is personal and will always remain to be.

The views and opinions expressed in this blog are exclusively those of the author’s. They do not, in any way, represent thoughts, opinions, policies, and the direction of the Philippine government, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the media outlets I used to work for, and even that of my husband's.

Come to think of it, our opinions differ – a lot.

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Sponsored content will always be labeled. However, sponsorship of any kind will not affect my views on each product or service I review. If it's bad, I'll still say it is.